Deer Stalking
Certificate 2
Enrolling for the DMQ DSC2
The DSC2 Award is the next step candidates may consider after achieving DSC1. This Award is entirely practical and requires candidates to demonstrate their skill and knowledge in the field while being observed by an Approved Witness.
Enrolling for the Award is easy. There are a number of Assessment Centres that cater for the Award; simply contact the training dept of your chosen Assessment Centre, just as you did for DSC1, and enrol. The Award is candidate-led and you have three years to complete your portfolio of evidence.
Your Assessment Centre will allocate you an Assessor who will review your portfolio when it’s complete but before that you will need an Approved Witness.
Once enrolled, you will be able to access the list of current witnesses, who are listed by county and you can select one who is nearest to your stalking area, or one who offers stalking while you complete the witnessed outing. You may already know an Approved Witness or one may be recommended to you by a friend. Many Assessment Centres, organisations and individuals offer training to help you practise and hone your skills before actually completing a witnessed stalk.
Your Witness will observe you performing the various tasks of stalking, culling, transporting and lardering a deer carcass and will produce a report for your Assessor on your performance of taking a deer from the field right through to it entering the food chain. You will also submit a description of your stalk from field to larder and your Assessor will examine all your evidence and discuss it with you. There is no pass or fail, it is just a matter of collecting enough evidence to prove you are competent. When your Assessor is satisfied you have submitted enough evidence to cover all aspects of the Award he will submit your portfolio for approval.
Registration
To register for DSC2 you must first have obtained DSC1. You may register with any Assessment Centre for DSC2, you do not have to register with the Centre you signed up with for DSC1. When you register you will be issued with access to your electronic portfolio. It is then your responsibility to complete it.
You have three years from the date of registering to complete your evidence gathering. If you take longer than that you will have to re-register and there will be a further fee to pay.
Gathering evidence
Before you start to gather your evidence for DSC2 we would strongly advise you to contact your Assessor.
The key document for your ePortfolio is the Individual Cull Record which an Approved Witness completes on your behalf. You should, however, download a copy and study this document, so you are fully aware of what you are required to perform. On some occasions it will not be possible to complete all of the performance criteria of a stalk but those that can be completed should be recorded, the remainder can be completed on another occasion and witnessed by any DMQ Approved Witness. However, before the portfolio is finally submitted, all of the performance criteria must be completed.
Witnesses should make clear to you exactly when their assessment of your performance starts and finishes; they may need to do so several times during witnessing. Witnesses are provided with guidance on their role, which is to record what candidates do, to ask candidates questions when required and record the answers. Witnesses are not permitted to lead, help, steer candidates or to provide training. It is not for witnesses to tell candidates what equipment they must carry or how, for example, they must gralloch a deer. If, however, the candidate is stalking on ground which only the witness is familiar with, the witness can brief the candidate on what the cull criteria are for the day, on where it might be worthwhile stalking and, if asked, to provide information on the topography of the ground.
Assessment
The DSC2 qualification is not a course but a collection of appropriate evidence that the candidate will compile and submit for examination. This evidence, in the main, comprises a single stalk which is witnessed by a DMQ Approved Witness (AW), written up and submitted via the allocated Assessor to the portfolio. This is then assessed and verified and, providing it meets the required standard, a DSC2 certificate will be awarded. This process is administered by the Assessment Centre which adheres to a set of rules based on nationally recognised standards. Assessment Centres are overseen by External Verifiers who ensure that records are maintained, and assessments are carried out fairly and thoroughly.
Candidates wishing to undertake the DSC2 will register and receive an email from the Deer Assessment Centre with the login details and password for their online ePortfolio. With this email will be guidance notes which candidates should read thoroughly before proceeding any further. An Assessor will already have been allocated.
The Assessor will check and evaluate the evidence against the DMQ standard and will offer advice to candidates. Assessors carry a professional standing in the area of deer management and also hold a National Assessor Qualification.
Once a candidate has had initial contact with their Assessor and understands the components and standards required, they can go stalking with an Approved Witness. This is someone who will be present when a deer is stalked and culled, transported and the carcass prepared. The AW is managed directly by DMQ and will be a suitably knowledgeable person who understands the standard required.
Once a candidate has registered, their ePortfolio account with have a list of all Approved Witnesses in the resources area. It is imperative that the witness chosen is a DMQ Approved Witness.
The cost of the DSC2 registration does not include the cost of any witnessed outings. This is to be agreed and negotiated directly between the candidate and Approved Witness.
Internal Quality Assurers are appointed by Assessment Centres. They ensure that assessments are carried out fairly and thoroughly and that all Assessors are working to the same standard. All evidence is reviewed by an Internal Verifier.
Frequently asked questions
Each of the Assessment Centres has a number of Assessors whose role is to help people build a portfolio of evidence. The purpose of this is to enable the candidate to prove they have a level of knowledge and practical skills sufficient to be awarded the DSC2 certificate. These are some of the most frequently asked questions and their responses. Please speak to your Assessor if you have any questions relating to what evidence you should collect and how.
Often there is no standard answer that can be given, so don’t take these as gospel! However, hopefully, some of your questions will be answered here.
Certificate
After an ePortfolio has been assessed, it is verified by an Internal Quality Assurer. Provided there are no problems, the Assessment Centre will then advise DMQ and we will issue a DSC2 certificate. Your assessor will advise if additional evidence is required.
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